A dozen Lower Macungie properties lose water service over unpaid bills

January 31, 2013|By Patrick Lester, OF THE MORNING CALL

A dozen more Lower Macungie properties lost their water service this week after the latest crackdown on residents who aren't paying their sewer service bills.

Township Manager Bruce Fosselman said Thursday that 200 customers were in danger of losing their water during the past three weeks, but that by Wednesday only 12 didn't follow through on paying delinquent bills.

Those 12 joined about a dozen who had their water shut off in November as part of the township's ongoing effort to collect on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of unpaid bills.

Fosselman said 40 customers were scheduled to be shut off Wednesday, but 25 of those had paid up or made arrangements to pay up by the end of the day.

The township has been cracking down on customers with overdue sewer and trash bills. Last year, township officials announced plans to make good on their threat to go after more than $700,000 in unpaid bills.

Some customers owed thousands of dollars in overdue bills.

The township assesses a fixed fee of $43 per quarter, or $172 per year, for all sewer service customers. In addition, a charge of $1.05 per 1,000 gallons of use is added to bills for customers with

Homeowners without meters pay an additional $72.50 on top of the quarterly charge.